Djibouti Launches AgriConnect to Help Small Farmers Grow and Earn More

Djibouti’s ministers responsible for economy and finance and for agriculture highlighted the compact’s potential to expand ongoing and planned investments.

The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) joined Prime Minister Abdoulkader Kamil Mohamed, the World Bank Group and development partners on Monday to launch the Djibouti AgriConnect Compact. The initiative brings partners together around the government's agricultural priorities, linking support for farmers with investments in services, infrastructure, finance and businesses that connect producers to buyers.

The wider AgriConnect initiative, led by the World Bank Group, seeks to help 300 million smallholder farmers worldwide move from subsistence farming to producing a surplus. Its approach includes stronger farmer organizations, better connections to markets, greater access to finance and digital solutions, and more private businesses participating across food systems, offering a framework for the work planned in Djibouti.

Creating Opportunities for Rural Women and Young People

Rural women, men and young people are central to IFAD's contribution, with the institution emphasizing the need for communities to share in the benefits of a more productive and resilient agricultural economy. IFAD Country Director for Djibouti Emime Ndihokubwayo described AgriConnect as an opportunity to support sustainable improvements in rural livelihoods, aligned with the organization's country strategic opportunities programme for 2026–2031.

Djibouti's ministers responsible for economy and finance and for agriculture highlighted the compact's potential to expand ongoing and planned investments. These include IFAD's Integrated Water Resources Management Project, known as PGIRE, and the Youth Entrepreneurship for Climate Change Adaptation Project, or PEJACC, which IFAD co-finances with the African Development Bank. Building on these programmes could connect support for water management and youth entrepreneurship with broader opportunities in agriculture.

Building Food Security Through Local Investment

Climate change, geopolitical tensions and security-related instability have made Djibouti's heavy reliance on imported food an increasingly pressing concern. Strengthening domestic agriculture could help the country withstand external shocks, with the compact designed to identify investment opportunities, address obstacles facing private businesses and coordinate development partners around a shared programme of action.

Planned investments cover agricultural services, rural finance and infrastructure, supported by efforts to expand access to credit and encourage private sector participation. IFAD brings experience working directly with small-scale farmers at the earliest stages of food production, helping them develop stronger routes to market and more resilient livelihoods. Since 1980, it has supported nine rural projects in Djibouti with a total investment of US$125 million, providing a foundation for the compact's ambitions to improve food security, create jobs and strengthen rural incomes.